Canon closes Melville construction office

Canon USA is closing its Melville construction office because site approvals and incentives packages haven’t been finalized for its new 690,000-square-foot headquarters in Melville.

The company has asked its general contractor, Turner Construction of Manhattan, to leave its Melville base and return to New York City.

“Because construction has not yet begun, there currently is no need to have a full-time construction office in Melville for the Canon headquarters project,” the company said in a statement.

Huntington Councilman Mark Cuthbertson told LIBN that it’s true the approvals aren’t completed, but that the plans are moving forward.

“From the town’s perspective we are well along in the approvals process,” he said.

Canon, which currently operates out if Lake Success, was enticed to build the new campus in Melville because the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency offered it $35 million in incentives. Those include $16 million in local and state sales tax exemptions and $19 million in property tax breaks for a decade after the headquarters opens.

The company is also waiting on state help in the the form of Empire Zone benefits.

“Canon has not yet been informed about any decision regarding Empire Zone funding,” the company said.

Canon’s new headquarters, which would be built on the site of a former 52-acre pumpkin farm, is expected to house 2,500 employees. The building would also score at least a silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating from the U.S. Green Building Council for its use of energy efficient materials and features such as reflecting pools.